The most effective setup combines edge and cloud-based platforms to get the best of both worlds. Chris Evans, Marketing & Operations Group Manager at Mitsubishi Electric, looks at why the future of network infrastructure balances edge and cloud capabilities.
Edge and cloud computing technologies might, on the surface, be seen by some as competing platforms. In fact, they are synergistic: by harnessing the strengths of both and by distributing the intelligent analysis appropriately, businesses can maximise productivity, efficiency and reduce costs.
Machines and automated systems on the plant floor generate colossal volumes of time-critical data. This data needs to be analysed and processed in real time as, in the world of automated production, the operating time base is in seconds, milliseconds or even microseconds. Edge technology operates in real-time and is able to perform data processing using Advanced Analytics (AA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and carry out predictive and preventative modelling.
Additionally, by processing this operational data at the edge, it is possible to reduce the number of data points that need to be processed in centralised, cloud-based locations, resulting in substantial cost savings.
Read the full article in the May issue of DPA